Louis C.K. Just Dropped A Surprise New Series With Steve Buscemi

Stand up comedian Louis C.K, is nothing if not an innovator. Over the last few years he has developed not only a signature brand of humor, but myriad ways of delivering it. Between his amazing standup sets, and equally amazing forays into the world of television, he's one of the most reliable sources of comedy working today. Now it seems he has teamed up with actor Steve Buscemi to bring audiences comedy in a new format: a web series.

The announcement came from an update on Louis C.K’s official website. His new series, which he and Steve Buscemi co-created, is called Horace and Pete. Centering on bar owners Horace (C.K.) and Peter (Buscemi) the series follows them as they run a 100-year-old bar in the heart of Brooklyn. The whole thing plays out like a demented, depressing episode of Cheers. Throughout the course of the first episode the characters remark on current events, such as Donald Trump’s presidential campaign, with a sense of defeat; this is where the country is headed, so we might as well sit back, drink, and accept it. In addition to Buscemi and C.K, the series features acting legend Alan Alda, who lends a sense of gravitas and prestige to the overwhelmingly somber affair.

Check out the clip below to get a sense of the series' tone:

What’s arguably most interesting about the web series is the fact that everyone involved was able to keep its production a closely guarded secret. Despite all of the big names associated with it, no one on the outside had any idea what was going on. It appears the Louis C.K. has wanted to keep himself busy after walking away from his massively popular FX series Louie. The intent with Horace and Pete seems to be a fulfillment of the desire to cut out the middleman and produce content that can be given straight to audiences through the Internet without any intervention by a network. FX already gives C.K. incredible levels of creative freedom with how he operates on his self-titled series, but it seems that with Horace and Pete he wanted to create something that possessed an even greater grassroots feeling. As long as we’re getting more Louis C.K. we’re in no position to complain.

Horace and Pete is currently available online at Louis C.K’s official website. The first episode is 67 minutes long and costs $5 to download. We will keep you updated with any and all information related to the show – or to any of Louis C.K’s other projects – as they become available to us. Stay tuned.